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BOSTON — Jayson Tatum is practicing with the Maine Celtics on Monday as he continues to recover from an Achilles rupture he suffered last week, the Celtics shared in an official press release.
Tatum will be assigned to participate in portions of the Maine Celtics practice at the Auerbach Center this afternoon. Following this practice, Tatum will be immediately recalled to the Boston Celtics, where he will continue his rehab process. Fellow Celtics players Hugo Gonzalez and Amari Williams are joining Tatum at practice.
It’s been almost 9 months since Tatum first suffered the injury, and the Celtics have never offered a recovery timeline.
It’s not unusual for athletes to be assigned to their G-League affiliate as they near a full recovery; earlier this year, for example, LeBron James practiced with the Los Angeles Lakers’ G-League affiliate, and five days later, he made his season debut as he recovered from an offseason bout of sciatica.
Similarly, Kristaps Porzingis practiced with the G-League last fall as he rehabbed an offseason ankle surgery, and six days later, made his season debut.
That doesn’t mean that Tatum’s return is just a week away — but it does open the door for that possibility.
Last week, Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said that Tatum still has “a ways to go.”
“When it’s right, then we’ll all sit down and talk about it,” Stevens said. “There’s still no force from us. There’s no pressure from us. But there’s also not gonna be any of us saying, ‘Well, why doesn’t he just take another week?’ When he’s ready, he’s ready.”
Without Tatum, the Celtics are 34-19, owners of the Eastern Conference’s third-best net rating.
Unrivaled, a league full of firsts, has announced the second trade—and first in-season trade—in league history.
On Monday morning, the league announced that Courtney Williams has been traded from Vinyl BC to Breeze BC, Saniya Rivers from Hive BC to Vinyl BC and Azurá Stevens from Rose BC to Hive BC. The trade comes in the wake of Aari McDonald’s season ending right leg injury; McDonald had only played one game for Breeze.
The conditions of the four-club deal are definite yet confusing. Per Unrivaled’s announcement, Breeze doesn’t seem to be forfeiting anything for Williams. The league also didn’t announce anyone going to Rose in return for Stevens. However, it is worth noting that Clare Duwelius serves as the lone general manager of Unrivaled; clubs do not have individual GMs. Transactions, thus, do not abide by the typical protocol or processes of WNBA trades.
The first Unrivaled trade came prior to Season 1, when Courtney Williams, Jackie Young, Tiffany Hayes and Natasha Cloud were swapped in a similar multi-team deal. This Season 2 deal thus makes Williams the first veteran of the 3×3 trade market.
With Breeze, Rose, Vinyl, and Hive respectively occupying spots No. 4 through No. 7 in the league’s current standings, the four-team deal doesn’t project to shake up the top of the league. However, it gives the Breeze a notable boost at the guard spot behind Paige Bueckers. That extra backcourt depth could be enough to make up some ground on the league leaders, especially considering they didn’t give up anything for Williams.
Vinyl is adding a highlight defender in Saniya Rivers, improving an already solid team defense. Vinyl is also one of the league’s tallest teams, a trend that Rivers, a 6-foot-1 guard, will fit. Vinyl, however, will have to put a larger burden of playmaking on Rhyne Howard and Erica Wheeler in the absence of Williams.
Stevens, now en route to the Hive, had a hot start to Unrivaled Season 2, but her production had quickly withered in the past two weeks, in part due to injury issues. Coming off a one-possession win, Hive will hope that she can reprise her scoring as they try to make a push in the waning half of the season. Ezi Magbegor is also dealing with an injury, giving Stevens a chance to inherit big minutes for her new team. Sans Stevens, Rose will have to add a developmental player if any of their players miss a game. Their current roster sits at just five players, and the developmental pool can be triggered when a team drops below five.
VILLARREAL, Spain (AP) — Villarreal scored twice in each half to hammer Espanyol 4-1 in La Liga and hand the Catalan club its heaviest defeat of the season on Monday.
The result ended a poor run which had seen Villarreal take one point from its previous three games. The win lifted it to equal on points with third-placed Atletico Madrid and seven ahead of Real Betis, although Villareal has a game in hand on both.
Georges Mikautadze gave Villarreal the lead 10 minutes before halftime when he met Tajon Buchanan's perfectly cushioned header and fired home a spectacular scissor kick.
Jose Salinas’ own goal six minutes later doubled Villarreal’s lead. Nicolas Pepe added the third five minutes into the second half when he rifled a low shot from outside the box after some skilful footwork.
Alberto Moleiro made it 4-0 five minutes later when he finished off an incisive counterattack.
Leandro Cabrera’s glancing header from a Cyril Ngonge corner with two minutes remaining was Espanyol’s only response.
Barcelona-based Espanyol has not won since before Christmas and has gone six matches without a win in the league. Monday's result marked the first time this season it conceded four goals in a game. It remained in sixth place.
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
After a wonderful debut to the Jaren Jackson Jr. era of Jazz basketball, Utah continues its east-coast roadtrip against the Miami Heat tonight. Jackson Jr., who impressed with 22 points and three steals, did not play in the fourth quarter after the Jazz led by 15 points in the third quarter against the Orlando Magic.
To say that national pundits were unhappy with Utah’s tanking job on social media would be an understatement. Unlike its tanking peers, Utah has not shut-down its stars Lauri Markkanen, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Keyonte George for the remainder of the season with phantom injuries. Instead, they continue to play them, but have limited their minutes in favor of developing prospects at the end of games.
Arguably, this strategy is more honest and better for the league than shutting down players like Trae Young and Anthony Davis for the rest of the season. Fans get to watch starts like Markkanen and Jackson Jr. actually play, rather than missing the chance to watch them at all. In the name of retaining the pick and improving its future, the Jazz have no other choice.
Tonight, the Jazz will be without Keyonte George and Kevin Love. George has been battling a sprained ankle and re-aggravated it against Orlando.
Who: Utah Jazz vs Miami Heat
When: Monday, February 9, 2026 – 5:30 PM MT
Where: Kasaya Center, Miami, FL
How to watch: KJZZ, Jazz+
The Florida Panthers are sending an NHL-leading 10 players to the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Although there won’t be much time for those players to rest, a handful of Panthers players remaining at home will benefit from a break to rest and reset.
Whether these are players are dealing with lingering injury issues, showing signs of fatigue after three long Stanley Cup runs, or simply benefitting from the opportunity to reset and change parts of their game.
Here are three Panthers players who will benefit from the Olympic break:
It’s hard to be overly critical of Sergei Bobrovsky’s play this season. His numbers are sight for sore eyes with a career low .871 save percentage and a 3.13 goals-against average in 40 games, but looking at the number of games he’s played in the last three seasons and his age, it’s understandable for his play to fall off.
In the last three seasons, Bobrovsky has played 162 regular-season games out of a possible 246 and 66 playoff games. In total, he’s played 228 NHL games in a three-year span. To wit, he’s now 37 years old and on pace to play 57 games this season.
Daniil Tarasov appeared to sustain a lower-body injury in the final game before the Olympic break, and the extent of the injury is currently unknown. If he’s out long-term, Bobrovsky could be tasked with an even heavier workload. If any player needs a three-week rest, it’s Bobrovsky.
Panthers' Daniil Tarasov Exits Early With An Injury; No Status Update ProvidedFlorida Panthers goaltender Daniil Tarasov was forced to exit Thursday’s 6-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning with what appears to be a lower-body injury. Mackie Samoskevich’s season has been odd. He started the season strongly, posting a flurry of assists, and he remains on pace to eclipse his assist total from last year, but his goal scoring is down in a major way, and it was supposed to be his calling card in the NHL.
His shot remains potent, and he’s continued to fire pucks from high-danger areas of the ice, but the puck is just not finding the back of the net. His shooting percentage is astonishingly low at 4.9 percent.
But patience is key with the 23-year-old American winger. He has the offensive tools, the defensive awareness, and the speed to be a solid middle-six winger in the NHL. A chance to reset and work on some things could benefit his game, and he can begin to work his way back up the Panthers lineup.
Playmaking Up, Goal Scoring Down; Why Is Panthers' Mackie Samoskevich Struggling To Score Goals?Mackie Samoskevich’s shooting luck has been nonexistent this year, and his goal-scoring numbers have taken a hit because of it. What can the Florida Panthers' winger do to turn things around? With all the time Aaron Ekblad has missed over the past few seasons due to injuries or suspensions, it’s hard to really narrow down exactly what Ekblad is at this stage of his career. His offensive numbers have continued to decline, but he has become a bit more potent on the defensive end, although there are still some limitations.
He and Gustav Forsling have remained the Panthers’ top defense pairing, but the duo hasn’t dominated as we’ve seen before. Whether teams have figured out how to play against them or fatigue has become a factor is unclear, but this three-week break should bode well for Ekblad.
The 30-year-old plays a physical game, so rest is a valuable part of his recovery. The Panthers need to prevent pucks from ending up in the back of their net, and although goaltending has let them down, improved play from Ekblad and the rest of the defense core would go a long way in fighting back into the playoff race.
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The Super Bowl always, for me, marks the transition between the end of Other Sports season and the beginning of Baseball Season. Pitchers and catchers report this week, players are already in Arizona, and it feels like we’re ready to start grinding on the 2026 season. It’s an especially exciting one, with the Mariners’ deep playoff run followed by a thrilling run by the Seahawks culminating in the highest honor in the sport.
With our minds now bending towards baseball season, what are some of the things you’ll be looking at this spring? We’ll be doing some more in-depth analysis on this later but I find it’s always helpful to crystallize what people think are the most salient issues before diving in (apparently no one cares about the battle for backup catcher as much as I do). Also, if there’s one particular hobby-horse question you’re intent on watching for this spring, do tell.
Three more days until pitchers and catchers officially report.
11 days to the first spring training game.
Happy dawning of baseball season, everyone.
DETROIT (AP) — Daniss Jenkins has earned an NBA contract with the Detroit Pistons, who signed the guard on Monday after he played 42 games this season on a two-way deal.
Jenkins is averaging eight points and three assists as a key player for the Eastern Conference -leading Pistons. In seven starts, he has averaged 15.3 points, 6.7 assists and 3.1 rebounds.
The 6-foot-4 Jenkins, who is from Dallas, played in seven games last season as an undrafted free agent after playing for St. John's, Iona and Pacific.
___
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Clippers continue to await the results of the NBA's investigation of a business relationship between Kawhi Leonard and a California company he had an endorsement deal with.
Last September, a report by journalist Pablo Torre alleged the team violated the NBA’s salary cap rules involving a $28 million endorsement contract between Leonard and the now-bankrupt California-based sustainability services company called Aspiration Fund Adviser LLC.
Leonard has denied any wrongdoing, saying he didn't receive all of the money he was owed from the company.
The Clippers have strongly denied that any rules were broken and said it welcomed the league’s investigation, which is being run by an outside firm.
“We haven’t learned anything more than we have in September,” Lawrence Frank, president of basketball operations, said Monday. “We know it’s out there, we know at some point there’ll be a decision made. We very much feel the same thing that we told you back in September, that we’re on the right side of this. It really doesn’t impact anything we do on a daily basis.”
The Clippers are hosting this weekend’s NBA All-Star festivities at their year-old arena in Inglewood.
Clippers owner Steve Ballmer made a $50 million investment in Aspiration, and the company and the team announced a $300 million partnership in September 2021. That was about a month after Leonard signed a four-year, $176 million extension with the Clippers.
The team ended its relationship with Aspiration after two years, saying the contract was in default. Aspiration’s co-founder, Joseph Sanberg, agreed to plead guilty in August after facing federal charges of wire fraud. Prosecutors said he defrauded investors and lenders out of $248 million, adding that “Aspiration’s financial statements were inaccurate and reflected much higher revenue than the company in fact received.”
Aspiration owed Leonard about $7 million of the $28 million deal it had with him when the company filed for bankruptcy.
“I got to look back at the books,” Leonard said last September, “but it was more than that, for sure.”
Asked if he received the money he was owed, Leonard replied, “Uh, no, but the company went belly up. It was fraud as everyone knows.”
As for the allegation that he did nothing in exchange for being paid by Aspiration, Leonard said, “I don’t think it’s accurate.”
___
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA
ROME (AP) — Donyell Malen scored in each half as Roma beat Cagliari 2-0 and stayed in touch with the chasing pack at the top of Serie A on Monday.
Leader Inter Milan was eight points clear of city rival AC Milan and nine ahead of reigning champion Napoli. Roma was three points further back along with Juventus.
Dutch center forward Malen had scored only once in four appearances since joining on loan from Aston Villa in January and he proved his worth on Monday with two excellent finishes.
He ran on to a clever through ball from Gianluca Mancini and his deft chip over the goalkeeper was equal to the set-up pass.
His second was more of a poacher’s effort as he got on the right side of a packed defense to turn in a low cross 20 minutes after the break.
The result served as a confidence booster ahead of next weekend’s crunch tie at Napoli.
Cagliari, which was seeking a fourth consecutive Serie A win for the first time in more than a decade, remained 12th.
Atalanta beats CremoneseAtalanta moved to within two points of the European places after beating Cremonese 2-1.
Atalanta was unbeaten in its last seven league matches and in seventh spot, two points behind Como and seven behind Roma and Juventus.
Nikola Krstovic put Atalanta ahead after 13 minutes when he got on the end of a nice cross from Giacomo Raspadori. Davide Zappacosta made it 2-0 minutes later with a neat individual goal.
Atalanta's Lazar Samardžić and Berat Djimsiti also came close as they bossed the first 45 minutes.
Krstovic missed the best chance of the second half and Berat Djimsiti had a goal disallowed in stoppage time as Atalanta continued to dominate.
Morten Thorsby’s last-minute consolation for Cremonese gave the scoreline a more respectable sheen than the action suggested.
Cremonese was without a win in 10 games and sat 16th, just five points above the relegation zone.
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
The long-awaited return of baseball is almost over. This week, pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training. Not many teams have as much riding on these two groups as the San Diego Padres. With the Friars’ pitchers and catchers reporting to the Peoria Sports Complex in Arizona, Wednesday, here’s what to look forward to between the two groups.
The Padres addressed their need behind the dish with the trade deadline acquisition of Kansas City Royals backup catcher Freddy Fermin. Fermin hit respectably to start his San Diego tenure with a slash line of .244/.278/.339. That might seem low but remember the Friars’ options prior to that were even worse with Elías Díaz and Martín Maldonado.
The question now is who Fermin’s backup will be. Two possibilities are Triple-A El Paso mainstay Luis Campusano and minor league pickup Blake Hunt.
Time is running out for Campusano. He is out of options and must make the major league roster or else he has to clear waivers to be sent back to the minors. His time in San Diego has been a strange case. A former top 50 prospect, he has struggled to produce in the majors despite the fact he raked in the minor leagues (finishing the season batting .334/.438/.586 across 466 plate appearances). His offense has not translated over, with him not recording a hit in 27 plate appearances at the big-league level.
Adding insult to injury, his defense has never been particularly strong. Across 2023-24 he recorded a -20 defensive runs saved, ranking second worst among qualified catchers. If he can’t put it all together this season, it’s likely general manager A.J. Preller will shop him at the trade deadline.
The Padres picked up Hunt this offseason on a minor league deal. For San Diego it serves as a reunion with the former second-round pick from the 2017 draft. Hunt owns a .245/.324/.398 slash line across his eight-year career in the minors. And it’s here that Campusano has one thing over Hunt: major league playing time. Apart from one day on the Baltimore Orioles’ active roster (in which he did not record a plate appearance), Hunt has spent no time at the major league level.
Because of that, it’s likely Campusano ends up in the backup role, but it remains to be seen given his obvious struggles. It seems Campusano will be the one with the club on March 26, if only so he doesn’t have to clear waivers, but Hunt may be viewed as the more long-term option behind Fermin if Campusano’s production woes continue.
As the Padres entered the offseason, it was glaringly apparent that the starting rotation was a major problem. In spite of that, San Diego is in a much better position now. Re-signing Michael King and adding numerous minor-league pickups has helped. The first three spots of the rotation are set with Nick Pivetta, King, and Joe Musgrove, but who will follow?
Randy Vasquez and JP Sears seem to be the favorites for the final spots, given their time in San Diego’s club. Vasquez produced fairly well across 28 games in 2025, but the underlying metrics suggest that will not continue to be the case.
Sears was part of the blockbuster deal that sent top prospect Leo De Vries to the Athletics and brought Mason Miller to the Padres. He got knocked around for 16 runs after being traded to San Diego, albeit in a smaller sample of 24.2 innings. If Sears can improve his run prevention this spring, he could earn a spot on the roster come Opening Day.
The Padres extended non-roster invites to Marco Gonzalez, Triston McKenzie and Francis Peña (among others). The three are all candidates to impact the major league roster if they prove themselves in the next month.
Of the three, McKenzie represents the greatest low-risk, high-reward option. It wasn’t long ago that he finished with a 2.94 ERA across 191 innings during his tenure with the Cleveland Guardians. If he can replicate that even a little, he’ll be well on his way to making the big-league roster.
As always, it’s impossible to rule out a last-minute Preller addition. Whether by trade or free agency, the Friars always seem to find a way to add. Odds are high, with the Padres having checked in on a number of free agent starters as well as being linked to clubs like the New York Mets and Boston Red Sox throughout the offseason.
Whatever San Diego does, the prospect of baseball coming back this week is thrilling enough. It’s been a long (and unusually quiet) offseason for the club, and it will be exciting to see how the team performs ahead of Opening Day.
The Milwaukee Bucks will try to extend their winning streak to four games as they visit the Orlando Magic tonight. Coverage begins at 7:30 p.m. ET on Peacock.
Milwaukee has shown it can compete with much better teams even without its biggest star, which is why my Bucks vs. Magic predictions are siding with the underdog.
Read on for my free NBA picks for Monday, February 9.
Bucks vs Magic best bet: Bucks +11 (-110)
Nobody thinks the Milwaukee Bucks are about to start thriving without Giannis Antetokounmpo, but Milwaukee’s fans have to be happy to see the team getting a few wins even as the superstar is recovering from his calf injury.
After starting 3-14 without Giannis this season, the Bucks have won three in a row, covering as underdogs in all three contests.
With or without Antetokounmpo, the Bucks have shown enough not to be a double-digit underdog to the Orlando Magic, even on the road.
The Magic are dealing with their own injury issues, with leading scorer Franz Wagner sitting out with an ankle injury. They’ve lost six of their last 10 overall.
Milwaukee has a -3.7 point differential, but Orlando is a mediocre -0.4 itself. Both teams are essentially equal in their offensive efficiency, with the Magic being marginally better on the defensive end.
While Orlando has a significantly better record and has more talent to cover them without Wagner — having Paolo Banchero on your roster helps a ton — the gap between these teams simply isn’t that big.
Along with taking Milwaukee to cover, I’m also throwing in a bet on the Over, as this total looks too low given the high-scoring games both teams have been playing lately.
Each of the last four head-to-heads has gone Over.
I’ll also back Myles Turner to pick up Over 6.5 rebounds, something he’s easily done in his last two games, picking up at least nine boards in each.
Ryan Rollins has been firing away from deep lately, hitting at least three shots from beyond the arc in each of his last five games.
The Bucks are 3-0 ATS in their last three games overall. Find more NBA betting trends for Bucks vs. Magic.
| Location | Kia Center, Orlando, FL |
| Date | Monday, February 9, 2026 |
| Tip-off | 7:30 p.m. ET |
| TV | Peacock |
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Welcome to the post-deadline, pre-All-Star Game NBA Power Rankings here at NBC Sports. Just a heads-up: next week there will be no rankings. We're taking a one-week break, just like the players (plus, there aren't many games this week).
(38-13, last week No. 2)
Detroit largely kept a low profile at the trade deadline — just swapping Jaden Ivey for Kevin Huerter — because it wants to see what its young core looks like in the playoffs. That's a smart strategy when you're already the No. 1 seed in the East (with a five-game cushion), especially when the impactful players they could have traded for were either unavailable (Lauri Markkanen) or just too expensive (Michael Porter Jr., Jaren Jackson Jr.). The Pistons move up to No. 1 because we're ignoring what happened Thursday against the Wizards.
(36-16, last week No. 3)
San Antonio kept its powder dry at the trade deadline, choosing not to jump in and chase a star (or anyone else) and instead go into the playoffs with this young core, get a sense of where things stand, and then adjust this offseason as needed (just like Oklahoma City did a couple of years ago). Part of that young core, Stephon Castle, showed why you should keep this group together, dropping a 40-point triple-double on Dallas this week.
Stephon Castle ERUPTED for a 40-POINT TRIPLE-DOUBLE in the @spurs win
— NBA (@NBA) February 8, 2026
40 PTS (15-19 FGM)
12 REB
12 AST
3 STL pic.twitter.com/zGYZs0ZEj3
(40-13, last week No. 1)
Oklahoma City was very clever at the trade deadline, sending one of its many first-round picks to get Jared McCain out of Philadelphia. A league source texted me that it was "the most OKC move ever," landing a quality young player who they can develop and grow for a couple of seasons while he is still on his rookie deal. In the short term, the Thunder are without the injured Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams, and with that have gone 3-5 in their last eight. This team needs the All-Star break and a reset. That doesn't start until after a tough couple of games this week against the Lakers and Suns.
(34-19, last week No. 5)
Picking up Jose Alvarado and bringing the New York native home (he played his High School ball at Christ the King in Queens) is one of the big wins of the trade deadline. (The other win for the Knicks was the Bucks not trading Giannis Antetokounmpo, pushing that into the summer when the Knicks have a chance.) New York's win over Boston over the weekend was impressive, but them getting thumped by the Pistons earlier in the week (even at a rest disadvantage) was concerning. Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns will deservedly be in Los Angeles this weekend for the All-Star Game.
(34-19, last week No. 6)
Boston got its big man depth at the deadline in a deal for veteran Nikola Vucevic. Watching him in Celtics green (or the gold uniforms on Sunday), he looks like a player still finding his comfort zone, scoring 11 in each game but shooting just 1-of-7 from 3-point range so far. That will change and the veteran will find his groove. Jaylen Brown deserves to be in the All-Star Game this weekend, he deserves to be mentioned as an MVP candidate, he deserves everything coming his way. He has been special this season.
Jaylen Brown dominated in Dallas, going for 33 PTS and 11 REB in a Celtics win! pic.twitter.com/jqZaoTH0Zs
— NBA on NBC and Peacock (@NBAonNBC) February 4, 2026
(32-21, last week No. 9)
We want teams to be aggressive at the trade deadline, and Cleveland was that. Darius Garland has not been healthy this season (and the Cavs clearly are not sure if and when he's going to be), so they went all-in with James Harden. It'll be interesting to see how the slow, deliberate style of Harden fits with the up-tempo style of Donovan Mitchell in Cleveland. It worked on Saturday. Playing his first game with the Cavaliers since being traded — and without a practice or shootaround — Harden took over in the fourth quarter, scoring 15 points on 4-of-4 shooting (three of those 3-pointers) to spark a comeback win for the Cavaliers against the Kings on the road.
James Harden came up big for the Cavs in his debut!
— NBA (@NBA) February 8, 2026
23 PTS (7-13 FGM)
8 AST
5 3PM pic.twitter.com/mlq2w5wdiv
(32-19, last week No. 4)
Houston stood pat at the deadline, which was mildly surprising given that they are without Fred VanVleet and Steven Adams for the rest of the season and its offense has been struggling for a while now (26th in the NBA over the last 15 games). Houston is going to ride this core into the playoffs and see what they have. Sometimes it's about catching opponents at the right time, like Houston beating OKC last week (without SGA or J-Dub) or now getting the shorthanded Clippers for two games this week.
(34-19, last week No. 10)
Denver dodged the luxury tax at the deadline with a small move, but mostly they like this core — if they can just get everyone healthy at once. Forwards Aaron Gordon and Peyton Watson remain out with hamstring issues. While Jamal Murray (hip) and Nikola Jokic (ankle) will head to Los Angeles for the All-Star Game, both could use some downtime to get their bodies right. Good test against James Harden's Cavaliers Monday night.
(32-22, last week No. 7)
Very smart pickup at the deadline, adding guard Ayo Dosunmu (and throwing in the towel on Rob Dillingham), he can give this team some of what it's missing without Nickeil Alexander-Walker this season. Dosunmu is a quality defender who averaging 15 points per game and is shooting 45.1% from 3 this season. The Timberwolves remain a streaky team, and their losses last week to the Grizzlies, Clippers, and Pelicans are a concerning sign. Atlanta and Portland are up this week, and Minnesota could use a couple of wins heading into the deadline.
(32-19, last week No. 11)
The Lakers picked up some shooting at the deadline by adding Luke Kennard (costing them Gabe Vincent), but there was no bold move to turn the Lakers into a contender this season. That's because there was no single move that could turn this team into a threat in the West (outside of landing the Greek Freak, who the Lakers couldn't get at the deadline with what they had to offer). Look for the Lakers to shake up their roster this summer — and to shake up their front office with a lot of additions (scouts, sports science people, more). This offseason is when new owner Mark Walter will put his stamp on the team (and reportedly wants to follow the blueprint he used with the Dodgers).
(25-28, last week No. 16)
Charlotte is the hottest team in the NBA: Winners of nine in a row, they have moved into the play-in if the season ended today. The Hornets have the best offense in the NBA over those nine games. Charlotte also made a great move by trading for Coby White at the deadline. Once healthy (calf issue), White should keep Charlotte's offense from falling off a cliff when LaMelo Ball is off the court. Just how well is Charlotte playing? We will get a good test on Monday night when they face East-leading Detroit.
(30-22, last week No. 13)
Philadelphia moved on from Jared McCain at the deadline — rookie VJ Edgecombe's play made that possible — and the 76ers get a first-round pick in June out of it (which is good because their pick this year goes to Oklahoma City). Eric Gordon is out, which means Dominick Barlow gets his deserved standard contract (upgraded from a two-way). The 76ers have won 6 of 7 and get a good measuring-stick game on Wednesday against the Knicks.
(31-22, last week No. 8)
Phoenix added to its guard depth at the trade deadline, doing so without taking on any long-term salary in a swap that brings Amir Coffey and Cole Anthony to Phoenix in exchange for Nick Richards and Nigel Hayes-Davis. More importantly for their guard depth, the Suns got Devin Booker back Saturday after he missed seven games (the team went 4-3 without him, but lost his return to the 76ers). Collin Gillespie remains one of the great stories of the NBA season, and he got loose against the Trail Blazers for the best night of his NBA career.
WHAT A NIGHT FOR COLLIN GILLESPIE!
— NBA on NBC and Peacock (@NBAonNBC) February 4, 2026
30 PTS
10 AST
8-14 3PT pic.twitter.com/geQJzAl0lo
(32-22, last week No. 14)
Toronto added Trayce Jackson-Davis for a second-round pick. While that is not earth-shattering on its face, the reality is that Toronto has been starting 6'7" rookie Collin Murray-Boyles at the five, and Jackson-Davis is at least a 6'9" player who has played 91% of his career minutes at center. He can help — Jackson-Davis grabbed eight offensive rebounds in 15 minutes against Indiana, helping the Raptors pick up a win. Just one game this week, but not an easy one against Detroit.
(28-25, last week No. 12)
The Jonathan Kuminga soap opera is over in the Bay Area. Golden State added Kristaps Porzingis at the trade deadline, which is a great fit on paper, but in reality, he has played just 17 games this season due to illness and injury, and anything the Warriors get on the court is gravy. It's a cold business, and Porzingis is mostly an expiring $30.7 million contract that comes off the books this offseason, allowing the Warriors to look for help to chase one more ring with Stephen Curry, especially with Jimmy Butler out for much of next season.
(28-26, last week No. 15)
Miami stayed in the Giannis Antetokounmpo chase longer than others (Minnesota and Golden State, for example), but that's in part because the Heat didn't have some other big move to make. The Heat made no trades at the deadline, they will wait to take a big swing this offseason. In fact, the only news of note this week is that Terry Rozier gets to collect his checks while being away from the team after a federal gambling indictment (his money had been going into an escrow account, and an arbitrator ruled the Heat and league had to pay him). Winnable games against the Jazz and Pelicans this week.
(27-24, last week No. 18)
Orlando traded away Tyus Jones and got under the luxury tax, but that was its only trade last week. It was underwhelming, but this entire Orlando season has been underwhelming, as they sit seventh in the East. Injuries keeping Jalen Suggs, Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner out for extended periods have hampered this team — their preferred starting five of those three plus Desmond Bane and Wendell Carter Jr. has played just 117 minutes together this season across 11 games, but has a +18 net rating. The question being asked in league circles is whether Orlando would consider trading Paolo Banchero this offseason. What could they get for him?
(26-28, last week No. 20)
Atlanta started reshaping its roster with the Trae Young trade, then at the deadline doubled down on that by trading away the oft-injured Kristaps Porziņģis for the athletic Jonathan Kuminga plus Buddy Hield. It's worth taking a chance on Kuminga (who will come off the bench for Atlanta once he gets healthy, sometime after the All-Star break), and if he doesn't work out, the Hawks can choose not to pick up his contract for next season (or do so and trade him again). Tough games this week at Minnesota and Charlotte.
(25-28, last week No. 21)
Portland was one of the under-the-radar winners at the trade deadline, and not because they picked up guard Vít Krejčí from Atlanta (although he should be a good fit, adding some shooting and ball handling). It's that the Trail Blazers currently sit 10th in the West but with the No. 9 Clippers starting to tear things down at the deadline and the Warriors standing pat, a path to a top-eight spot in the West is opening up (Portland is three games back of Golden State for the No. 8 seed). The best news of the week in Portland was the return of Scoot Henderson, who looked understandably rusty after missing 51 games but also flashed his potential at moments.
(25-27, last week No. 17)
The Clippers' front office understood their roster and where they stood in the West. Despite a strong recent run of play, they knew this team was not a contender in the West right now, and they were getting older. The Clippers went with the "break it up a year too early rather than a year too late" theory and traded James Harden and Ivica Zubac. If the Clippers can get Darius Garland healthy, and he can return to his All-Star form next season, this was a great move for the Clippers — they get 10 years younger at point guard. Bennedict Mathurin is worth taking a longer look at as well. The real question becomes, is Kawhi Leonard available in a trade next summer?
(21-29, last week No. 24)
Milwaukee was never really interested in trading Giannis Antetokounmpo, all of that drama was more of a fact-finding mission to see where the market stood, something we reported here at NBC Sports regularly in the run-up to the deadline. Things could be different this offseason when the sides talk. The more interesting question now is how much Antetokounmpo we see the rest of this season — he talked about wanting to get healthy and make a postseason push, but the best long-term move for the franchise would be to tank, then use that higher draft pick to either trade for (or draft) another star to go next to the two-time MVP, or to use it as part of the rebuild that would come after trading him. There will be some tension.
(20-31, last week No. 23)
In retrospect, it was clear Memphis was ready to tear this iteration of the team down and rebuild when they traded Desmond Bane for four first-round picks over the summer. Now they have done the same with Jaren Jackson Jr., and you can be sure that over the summer they will again try to trade Ja Morant (the problem is there is no good market for the two-time All-Star, other teams wanted the Grizzlies to attach a pick for them to take Morant). It's going to be a rough end of the season for Grizzlies fans, but we get to see what Taylor Hendricks can do.
(24-29, last week No. 19)
Does anyone have an idea what the plan is in Chicago? They traded away good guards in Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu, then started collecting other guards teams didn't want like they were Labubus — Anfernee Simons, Jaden Ivey, Collin Sexton, Rob Dillingham, and they already had a primary ball handler in Josh Giddey, plus there is Tre Jones. On top of that, they have another guard, always-entertaining Yuki Kawamura, on a two-way contract, and then they went out and added Mac McClung on another two-way. Make it make sense. The Bulls have lost 7 of 8 and fallen out of the play-in in the East.
(14-40, last week No. 25)
New Orleans did well in the Jose Alvarado trade with the Knicks, taking a shot on Dalen Terry (23-year-old guard shooting 41.3% on 3s) plus a couple of second-round picks. This team has no incentive to tank (their pick goes to Atlanta, or possibly Milwaukee), they are just bad. None of the team's most coveted players — Zion Williamson, Trey Murphy III and Herbert Jones — were available at the trade deadline. Will that be different this summer?
(19-33, last week No. 22)
Dallas salary dumped Anthony Davis at the deadline, a trade that looks better on paper — "we got All-Star and Olympian Khris Middleton and two first-round picks" — than the reality (Middleton is not near that player anymore, and the first-round picks are a the Thunder's this year, so 29 or 30, and a future Golden State pick that likely converts to a second-rounder). What Dallas did was save money this year and clear the decks to build around Cooper Flagg — and this is why you want to build around Flagg.
Despite the loss, Cooper Flagg put up 30+ PTS for the 3rd game in a row!
— NBA on NBC and Peacock (@NBAonNBC) February 4, 2026
36 PTS
9 REB
6 AST pic.twitter.com/abYS8wlP5a
(13-40, last week No. 26)
Indiana had one of the best trade deadlines, landing center Ivica Zubac from the Clippers — he will be a fantastic fit next to a healthy Tyrese Haliburton next season. Zubac sets a big screen, and while he doesn't space the floor he is strong on the roll, a good passer, and the kind of defense presence in the paint this team needs. We will not see much of Zubac this season as the Pacers tank, but adding the big man and a lottery pick to a team that went to the Finals last season is going to make this team a force in the East next season.
(14-38, last week No. 27)
I like what the Wizards did picking up Trae Young and Anthony Davis at the deadline for one key reason: They gave up almost nothing to get the stars. It was discount shopping. That said, I have a caveat to my support of adding AD and Young: No contract extensions. (A one-year extension for Young beyond his expiring deal, maybe, but nothing long-term.) Adding Young and Davis to a young core with some interesting players such as Alex Sarr, Kyshawn George and Tre Johnson could help swing the culture in the nation's capital. However, that's all next season. For the rest of this season, the tank is on, and don't expect to see much of Young or Davis.
(16-37, last week No. 28)
Utah was one of the big winners at the trade deadline — this is how you hit the accelerator on a rebuild. Utah has a promising group of young players led by Keyonte George, Walker Kessler and Ace Bailey, now they added a former Defensive Player of the Year in Jaren Jackson Jr. to go next to Lauri Markkanen. Utah looks like a postseason team next season, but don't expect to see much of Jackson this season, as the tank is on to keep their top-eight-protected pick in Utah and add another good young player. Tanktastic game on Wednesday when the Jazz face the Kings.
(14-37, last week No. 29)
Brooklyn did nothing big at the deadline, Michael Porter Jr. and Nic Claxton are still on the team. Cam Thomas is not, but he was waived (and picked up by the Bucks). The Nets did add some young players worth taking a look at in Ochai Agbaji, Hunter Tyson and Josh Minott.
(12-42, last week No. 30)
Nobody knows what's going on in Sacramento, where Domantas Sabonis, Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Russell Westbrook are all still on the roster after the trade deadline (although it's not like they needed to trade those veterans to tank, the Kings are plenty bad with them). Keon Ellis is gone, a taller De'Andre Hunter takes his place but has to prove he's as good. The Kings have lost 12 in a row and will now play 7 of 8 on the road.
The Dodgers on Monday announced their initial set of promotions at Dodger Stadium during 2026. The list revealed so far includes 21 bobblehead giveaways, including three for Shohei Ohtani and four bobbleheads featuring notable moments from Game 7 of the World Series.
Ohtani on his six bobblehead-giveaway days at Dodger Stadium in 2024-25 had nine hits in 24 at-bats with four home runs, three stolen bases, and two walks, hitting .375/.423/.875 with nine RBI and eight runs scored. His first two bobbleheads of 2026 commemorate his Game 4 of the 2025 NLCS, during which he hit three home runs and struck out 10 in his six-plus scoreless innings en route to winning NLCS MVP.